Middleboro lost and gained when casino deal fizzled

Tuesday

Jul 31, 2012 at 12:01 AMJul 31, 2012 at 4:09 PM

Local leaders estimated the town of Middleboro lost more than $1 billion in expected revenue over the life of the casino. The town also lost its innocence. But there is an upside: the town will not have to cope with extra traffic, a possible upswing in crime and it will not see its rural character marred by a massive casino complex.

Alice C. Elwell

On a sunny day in July 2007, thousands of residents turned out for a special town meeting to approve a deal with the Mashpee Wampanoags to host a resort casino in Middleboro.

Five years later, the deal has fizzled, the Mashpee tribe is seeking approval for a resort casino in nearby Taunton, and Middleboro has been left in the dust in the southeastern Massachusetts’ gaming race.

When the tribe backed away from its agreement with the town, Middleboro lost a bundle in expected mitigation money and annual tax payments – and some officials are still steaming over the way the tribe pulled out of the deal.

Brian P. Giovanoni, who was chairman of the Gaming Study Committee and Resort Advisory Committee, estimated the town lost more than $1 billion in expected revenue over the life of the casino. The town also lost its innocence, he said.

“All the fighting this town went through, for nothing,” he said.

But, some residents and town leaders say the town gained as well – it will not have to cope with thousands of extra cars a day pouring into Middleboro, nor the litter, pollution and possible crime associated with gamblers frequenting the town.

“We lost a lot of potential revenue, but it was a trade-off,” Giovanoni said. “We also missed out on other things, for instance, a population boom.”

Middleboro will not see its rural character threatened by a looming regional casino.

“I’m not going to miss it at all, I’m glad I don’t have to fight the fight,” said James D. Reynolds, whose family homestead would have sat in the shadows of the casino off Route 44.

After the deal was inked, Reynolds figured he would one day see a sprawling casino out the windows of his home, built on land settled in 1692 by ancestors fleeing Salem after they were jailed in the witch trials.

Even though he lived his entire life in Middleboro, and his daughter was the fifth generation to be born in the house, Reynolds was ready to leave town when the casino seemed a reality.

Now, Reynolds is glad a casino is not coming to Middleboro, but said, “Like it or not, they (the tribe) did strike a contract and they have not honored their obligation.”

That’s the view of many former and current town officials.

The Mashpee Wampanoags should ante up money each year to the town once they open a casino in Taunton – or anywhere else for that matter – said some officials.

“At the very least, the tribe should provide an annual revenue stream once the money starts rolling in at a tribal casino, say $1.5 million a year, or a percentage of the slots,” said Adam Bond, former selectman and chief negotiator with the tribe at that time.

Tribe representatives and their attorney, Howard M. Cooper, from the Boston firm of Todd & Weld LLP Cooper could not be reached for comment.

Although the tribe paid the town $1 million in preplanning money, Town Manager Charles J. Cristello said it all went towards studies for a casino.

“They are not useful to us at all,” he said of the studies.

Cristello’s biggest concern is the 539 acres off Route 44 slated for the casino and still under the tribe’s control.

“If they’re not going to do tribal gaming, why own land here? It doesn’t make sense,” he said.

In the past, Wampanoag Tribal Council Chairman Cedric Cromwell said the land would be used for economic development, but he did not return recent calls for updated information.

Town lost cash from other sources, too

The town manager said the years spent planning for a casino were not only wasted time, but also represent lost money from other sources.

Cristello said the Mashpee tribe agreed to fund $250 million for a wastewater treatment plant, upgrades to the water system and improvements to Route 44 and its rotary.

“We didn’t apply for (federal) stimulus money (for those projects), we thought we had that covered,” he said.

Giovanoni said the state backed away from spending money to fix congestion along Route 44 and at the rotary, and the Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District bumped the roadway to the bottom of its funding lists.

“They didn’t want to spend money on Middleboro if the tribe was going to do it,” Giovanoni said.

Cristello said the Wampanoags got something from Middleboro they did not pay for: political leverage.

“We made them a viable entity that the Legislature and the governor had to account for,” the town manager said.

Bond agreed, saying the tribe walked away from the Middleboro deal as a legitimate player in the casino game that forced state officials to give them preference for a casino license in this region.

The gaming law allows for three resort casinos – one each in southeastern Massachusetts, greater Boston and the western part of the state – and one slots parlor for the whole state.

Casino activists JOINED TOWN GOVERNMENT

Giovanoni is philosophical, though, saying the deal brought a lot of good to the town.

Several residents who got involved in the casino controversy are now active in town government, including himself. Giovanoni is a member of the School Committee.

Longtime casino foe Michael Solimini – now a gas & electric commissioner in town – said he is relieved he won’t see a gambling complex mar the rural character of Middleboro, but added he is not happy with the way things worked out.

“The town lost its focus and devoted resources to planning for a casino,” said Solimini. “Clearly the tribe should not be able to walk away from the contract.”

Allin J. Frawley, an ardent casino opponent and now a selectman, said no one knows exactly why the tribe pulled up stakes and left Middleboro.

In May 2010, Cromwell pulled the plug on the Middleboro casino and said he was backing out of the deal. The tribe moved on to a possible site in Fall River and recently settled on a casino plan for land off Route 24 in Taunton.

Gov. Deval Patrick was expected to sign the tribe’s compact for the Taunton casino by today. The agreement will then need federal approval as well.

In the end, the battle over the fizzled deal in Middleboro, and the idea of a casino, did not sit well with many townspeople.

“The rift this tribe caused the town? I know people who moved out of town,” Frawley said. “I know people who still don’t talk to each other.”

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